A "civilian" A-10!

Pogmusic · **Posted:** Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:12 pm

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-a- ... 1613591600

RAMC181 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:24 am

Looks to be 80-0212, as opposed to 77-0212.

PropsRule · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:07 am

That's quite the hole left behind when they remove the GAU-8! That photo is one of the best I've seen to depict just how big that thing is.

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:13 am

That large hole is just the ammo storage, the cannon itself is long, but not that big in diameter,

It is going to take A LOT of ballast to make up the difference. If they are planning on flying it in hail, I wonder what that will do to the compressor fan, engine change after every mission ?

DH82EH · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:30 pm

Instead of "ugly, but well hung" this one 'll just be ugly :lol:

I'm not much of a fan of jets, but A-10's are bada$$!

I've seen a CF-34 that had a tire carcass go through it. Had to change two fan blades, that's it! They're pretty tough.

Andy Scott

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:45 pm

When the car that is attached to the tire carcass goes thru the engine, then i would call that tough.

DH82EH · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:00 pm

p51 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:03 pm

Matt Gunsch wrote:

If they are planning on flying it in hail, I wonder what that will do to the compressor fan, engine change after every mission ?

Couldn't they put vent covers over the openings, like the covers on the engines on many Russian helicopters? Just wondering...
But even if not, they fly hogs through horrible sandstorms in the box all the time and don't seem to have much a problem.

SaxMan · **Posted:** Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:40 pm

I hope this is the first of many civilian A-10s. The A-10 would likely make a great aerial tanker: Rugged, able to carry a fairly heavy payload, and able to operated at low altitudes. Otherwise, they are likely to share the fate of the F-14 where the military goes scrap-happy.

Randy Haskin · **Posted:** Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:33 pm

SaxMan wrote:

I hope this is the first of many civilian A-10s. The A-10 would likely make a great aerial tanker: Rugged, able to carry a fairly heavy payload, and able to operated at low altitudes. Otherwise, they are likely to share the fate of the F-14 where the military goes scrap-happy.

The issue with Hogs as firebombers is the same as their issues as CAS aircraft: the airframes are just plan worn out. If you were to walk through the D-M boneyard, you'd find most of the A-10s don't have wings, because they've been cannibalized to support the ones actively flying. Cracked/damaged skin is rampant in the A-10 fleet, and a goon number of A-10s have been grounded simply because they don't have the cycles/hours remaining in their lifespan.

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 987

Randy Haskin wrote:

The issue with Hogs as firebombers is the same as their issues as CAS aircraft: the airframes are just plan worn out. If you were to walk through the D-M boneyard, you'd find most of the A-10s don't have wings, because they've been cannibalized to support the ones actively flying. Cracked/damaged skin is rampant in the A-10 fleet, and a goon number of A-10s have been grounded simply because they don't have the cycles/hours remaining in their lifespan.

I thought about this when I read this piece. I wonder if they were able to get the lowest time airframe possible? I also thought that they might have been better off trying to get the two-seat YA-10B. Yes, its a much older airframe, but it must have less time on the airframe. Perhaps its is too far gone and too long out of the air to be a viable candidate.

I read a little about the storm chasing T-28, appropriately registered N10WX which would be perfect for the A-10, and it was equipped with a sheet metal roof and heavily reinforced canopy. Perhaps they'll do the same to the Stormhog? That's the name I came up with....... :wink:

Chappie

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A "civilian" A-10!

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